Democrat Darcy Burner's first TV ad in her campaign against Congressman Dave Reichert began airing today. It's a 60 second, fairly soft, bio spot. You can see it here.

In this first step in introducing herself to 8th District voters, two things stick out. Burner clearly is stressing her military ties. The ad points out in the narration, photos and graphics that both her father and husband are veterans and that she lived in "military towns." (Her brother is in the military now and served a tour in Iraq. The ad doesn't mention that, though Burner includes it in speeches.)

The other thing was that the last piece of the ad is Burner talking about the American dream "slipping away." I've seen Burner speak and she is quite good. But I've watched the ad several times and her voice and on-screen presence lacks the full confidence she shows in person. That's something Reichert does exceptionally well, too; even more so on TV. Burner's brief appearance in the ad comes off almost as if she were trying to restrain herself.